Dr. Khatib founded the non-profit Khatib Bridge and Education Center, in Stuart, Florida to promote the game he and his late wife Georgianna loved. Aside from his enjoying bridge as a life master, frequent player, club director, and bridge teacher, he was made lifetime Chairman of the Board for the club, and his financial support for several other clubs and numerous tournaments have been a part of his lifelong commitment to the game, both in New York and Florida. In 2024, Dr. Khatib doubled down on his commitment to the Bridge Center by providing a low-cost mortgage to the center.
Bridge and Duplicate Bridge are the ultimate trick-taking card games that is enjoyed by tens of million people throughout the world – more so than any other card game. Much research has been done on how playing bridge can impact positively someone’s mental health and help the brain to stay young and healthy. A result of a study shows that the bridge players of the age 55-91 years old outperformed nonplayers in measures of working memory and reasoning. Senior citizens who play a board game may have a lower risk of having dementia than others.
For many years, Dr. Khatib and Georgie shared their love of duplicate bridge, and contributed greatly to their hobby by supporting local tournaments, administering games and subsidizing new player education in both New York and Florida. Georgie was highly active in the creation and operation of the club.
As an important part of Dr. Khatib's legacy, and w ith the support of its membership, we hope for the Center to also continue in perpetuity as Martin County's home for bridge players of all ages.
In Dr. Khatib's words:
Right after our decision was made to have a home in the Stuart area of Martin County, we enlisted the help and guidance of Carrie Philipbar, a prominent attorney and excellent bridge player, and an initial membership board was formed with me as President, Howard Sodokoff, Treasurer, Carrie Philipbar, Attorney and author of our bylaws, Bill Koke, and Ralph Campel.
As we started activity, Harry Falk sent a proposal to all bridge players for startup funds, with my promise to match the total collected from the intended membership.
The board membership and bylaws were presented to the whole membership and approved. During the first few years some changes were made to the board with addition of Carrol Helderlein, Jerry Shaw, Steve Levine and Bob Crandall. Bob crandall was elected by the Board to be the second president when my 4-year term expired. I remained Ras a founder and permanent board member and chairman of the board. My wife Georgianna gave wonderful service as board secretary.
Georgianna and I had came to Florida in 2004, and at that time I started playing bridge with a nice gentlemen names Ralph Campbell. In those days it was necessary to go to Vero Beach or Palm Beach for silver points, and I said to Ralph that we should have a new home club in Stuart to be able to score silver points locally.
Click to Enlarge
We started looking for a potential home for the club. We talked to the Martin County Commissioner, who proposed 5 acres of 25 Acres land opposite Pipers Landing Yacht and Country Club, but most of it was under water! So we turned that offer down, and Bill Koke suggested his church on Mapp Road in Palm City as a site.
They church representatives offered an acre of land for an amount of $20,000, but wanted to require that the building be used on Saturdays and Sundays to feed the needy – a worthy goal, but not compatible with our intent for the bridge center play on weekends. We declined that offer.
Later, the property owned by the Church of Christ in downtown Stuart came on the market and I provided &100,0000 to purchase it."
Quite recently, the club leadership approached me to request that I become the bridge center's landlord, to minimize their tax expenses and improve the club's long-term stability. I was happy to provide the club with a low-interest mortgage.
During the pre-pandemic era, senior citizens enjoyed playing in-person games and receiving free educational lessons in Bridge. During the COVID epidemic, face-to-face play was mostly suspended. But through BRIDGEBASE and other on-line venues, players were able to continue the game they loved.
Today, face-to-face has resumed at most clubs nationwide, but the popularity and convenience of on-line play continues to attract players to local and tournament play."
Want to know more about Bridge? Use the links below to explore.
More about Dr. Khatib's Recreational Pursuits
In addition to Bridge, Reza and Georgie always relished many types of recreational activities.
He and Georgianna loved to travel, and enjoyed many trips around the world. His native Iran was a frequent destination where he revisited his extended family and the special projects he established and still supports there. And Reza and Georgie traveled extensively to many exotic destinations on other continents. The photo displayed here shows Georgie with an African tribesman during on of their trips, in 2008.
As an active sportsman, Reza was an accomplished golfer, and played frequently at the Piper's Landing Yacht and Country Club, their primary Florida residence. And as a boatsman, he served for two years as the club's Yacht Club Commodore.
Florida for two years, along with his service as Manager and Director of the ACBL's Piper's Landing Bridge Club that he had established. or his tenure as a resident there. Reza was also an accomplished golfer at Piper's landing.
But in recreational retirement, Reza's pride and joy remained the major enthusiasm he shared with Georgianna over many years for Duplicate Bridge, the game he had come to later life. His accomplishments in the Bridge World have been a major benefit to many in South Florida and in the New York metropolitan area that play the game. In Florida, Reza's namesake of the Khatib Bridge & Education Center remains a local institution.
